They say Ohio is a "battleground state" in the upcoming election, but on the night of the first presidential debate, battles of a different sort will be waged in Cincinnati. Let's see what this debate alternative offers as we go live on USA.

For an actual American, the new U.S. champ sure isn’t getting a warm reaction in Cincy. He’ll have to put that belt on the line right away to start the show, and it’s a familiar face since it’s the man who just lost that title.

Immediate rematches the night after pay-per-views can sometimes be thrilling affairs. Other times they can just be too much of the same thing. This match feels like the latter, with the fans mostly silent for the first few minutes. Rusev keeps busy tossing Reigns around up to and through the commercial break. Make that the first break, because there’s a second one later. The Bulgarian Brute looks perplexed as he tries to figure out a way to put Reigns away. Roman is able to kick out of multiple pinfall attempts, and both men miss some signature moves before Rusev manages another near fall. The inevitable rally arrives and leads to a Superman punch, but the champ finds it no easier to score a three count. Lana hops up on the apron, but it merely pauses Reigns a moment instead of working as a classic wrestling distraction. The fight goes out into the crowd, and we get a double countout as a result. Rusev tries to take out some frustration with a steel chair, but all that gets him is blasted by a spear.

Mick Foley comes to the ring to address the “controversial” ending to the Cesaro-Sheamus series, one that saw a medical stoppage for both men end their best-of-seven series in a draw. The Celtic Warrior and the Swiss Superman both oblige him, but Sheamus takes exception to the idea that Foley promised a title shot to the more physically dominant man in the series. An argument breaks out, and Foley announces his decision: Both men will get championship opportunities, but together as a team competing for the tag straps. The current champs probably have something to say about that, though neither Cesaro nor Sheamus seem to want to hear what it is. They’re about to be busy anyway …

Man, we have to get all our commercials in this first hour tonight, eh? This one perks up when Big E tackles Karl Anderson off the ring apron. The Midnight Hour follows, but Luke Gallows breaks up the pin. Kofi Kingston wants to fly, but Gallows grabs him and tosses him into the steps. Big E is hit by the Magic Killer, forcing Kingston to make a desperate save. Though bloodied in the process, Kingston is able to persevere and pin Anderson, continuing their impressive title reign. That cut may force Xavier Woods into action to defend those belts sometime. Nah!

Tom Phillips tries to get a word from Stephanie McMahon about the conclusion of the Universal Championship Match, but she blows him off and climbs into a limo with Triple H. Earlier today, we see that Seth Rollins had to visit the hospital after that match, and he has damage to his ribs that will prevent him from competing tonight.

In the locker room, Foley makes his plea to Cesaro and Sheamus to work together. It’s a great speech, probably better than anything the two presidential candidates are delivering right now.

Match 3 - Bayley vs. Local Talent

Anna Fields, I presume? Eh, whatever. She hangs around for a few before falling to the Bayley-to-Belly.

Foley presses McMahon about her rendezvous with her husband. Her fiery response seems to calm him down, with Mick saying he was out of line and Steph challenging him to step it up and prove that he deserves to be GM.

Love the pre-match handshakes before cruiserweight matches. Dorado ends up launching Swann onto the other two men before doing a big moonsault onto everyone, including his partner. Commercial time. The moves come fast and furious before Gulak almost pins Swann with a roll-up. He kicks out and hits the Rick Kick to pin Gulak, backing up his boast that they’d be partying tonight.

Match 5 - Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Local Talent

Jobbers are such a big part of this show now. They’re kind of understandable here as foils for the odd couple. They don’t exactly function as a well-oiled machine, but they don’t really need to against these two anonymous gents.

A video package tells us more about T.J. Perkins. Filipinos stand up! Tom is going to talk to him too, and he talks about the culmination of his long journey. The Brian Kendrick wants to know if it feels good to realize your dream at the expense of someone else’s resurrection. Kendrick says the next time they meet, it will be when Perkins wakes up from his dream.

Charlotte and Dana Brooke hits the ring to insist that she’s the moneymaker and the face of the women’s division. Sasha Banks begs to differ, though the champ is forced to admit that Banks has earned a title match … next week. Some more jawing leads to Charlotte getting smacked and Dana ending up in the Bank Statement, so … not so good for the heels.

Oh man, bruised or not, Rollins is furious. He chastises Foley for sticking to the company line with regard to McMahon and Triple H before he storms off.

Match 6 - T.J. Perkins vs. Tony Nese

After an early commercial break, Nese shows off plenty of power with an inverted gutwrench suplex for a near fall. He hurls Perkins from corner to corner before the champ finally gets his legs under him. A double chickenwing into a gutbuster goes for a near fall, and some rolling suplexes have Perkins headed up top. Nese meets him there, and a high knee after springing Perkins off the ropes almost wins it for him again. Eventually, Perkins is able to hit the Detonation Kick to set up the kneebar for a submission victory.

Before Chris Jericho gets to host another edition of the Highlight Reel, we find out that Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson are not only better friends than him and Kevin Owens, they promise to show up at Raw next week in L.A. Conveniently, Jericho’s guest is his BFF, the Universal Champion himself. Owens brags about “taking out” the most dangerous man in the WWE, but he may not have finished the job. Rollins tries to come to the ring, but he’s met at the top of the ramp by a phalanx of security guards. Foley has him taken away, but he can’t do the same to Enzo and Big Cass. The certified Gs do what they do best, and I believe they may have talked themselves into tonight’s main event.

Main Event - Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho vs, Enzo and Big Cass

Despite not being dressed in their usual ring gear, the heel buddies tackle this match with gusto. They take special pleasure in beating up Enzo while mocking him, especially Owens. Enzo is caught with a Jericho dropkick coming off the top rope, and he’s lucky if he’s not missing any teeth. Will Cass ever get the tag you suspect is coming? Yes, after Enz gets his knees up on a Lionsault. The seven-footer tosses Owens with a fallaway slam, then nails Jericho with a big boot coming off the top turnbuckle. He drops the Empire Elbow on Owens but misses on a corner splash, but he rises in time for a big boot to KO. The faces’ finisher is interrupted by a Jericho slap to Jericho’s face, and Enzo nearly pins the champ with a top rope DDT. That’s answered by a quick powerbomb, and the Canuck superfriends get the duke. And that’s all the time we’ve got, so flip on over to Monday Night Football, because we avoided the entire debate. See you in seven!

Nick Tylwalk has been with SLAM! Wrestling since the dawn of time, or at least since before the turn of the century. He spends his days overseeing FanSided's Entertainment efforts, but he'll always make time to sneak away for some wrestling.